Customer Reviews

Best of Freddy Cannon

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Freddie was never Elvis, Buddy Holly or Chuck Berry, nor do I think he so intended. What he did was to make a series of radio-friendly fun records, a bit offbeat, over a very long period. Some try to dismiss him as a "novelty" record guy, but that's not true. This CD would be fun even if you were born in the 80's and have no idea who "Boom-Boom" even is. And if anybody questions his chops, play "Tallahassee Lassie" for them. Kenny Paulsen's guitar playing here is on the same edge of heavy metal as that in The Guess Who's version of Johnny Kidd's "Shakin' All Over", but Kenny's a better player. He sounds a bit like Cliff Gallup, Gene Vincent's original guitar player, and that's high praise. His intro riff is a killer, and the cut just flashes brilliance! The whole CD just illustrates the fact that "fun records" could exist then but don't now - and there's nobody like the intense Freddy Cannon to do them, either!

Freddie "Boom Boom" Cannon was a regular contributor to the East Coast rock and roll scene in the late 1950s and early 60s. Unlike another reviewer, I WAS alive when this happened. The driving tunes in this package are great to hear again. They are not deep and profound but are simple but exciting teenage fare from back when. "Tallahassee Lassie", "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", "Transistor Sister" (from the portable radio many teens carried), "Abigail Beecher", "Palisades Park" and my favorite, a 1961 hit called "Buzz Buzz A-Diddle It" are enough to warrant the purchase. Hit records all. Freddie even appeared as his younger self, as did Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, in the movie about early rock and roll DJ Alan Freed, "American Hot Wax". (Look for Jay Leno too). I highly recommend this compilation.

If you remember Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon belting out greats like Abigail Beecher, Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It, Tallahassee Lassie, Teen Queen Of The Week, or Palisades Park you'll enjoy hearing them on this CD. And Transistor Sister sounded good on a transistor radio back then, but on this CD you get the total effect of how good that song really sounds. In fact, this CD really highlights the fact that Freddy didn't have the greatest voice, but his energy and delivery were highlighted by the fantastic band that backed him up. This CD really allows you to appreciate how good those musicians were and adds to the total enjoyment of hearing these songs again. The ending of Way Down Yonder In New Orleans has to be one of the best horn fade outs of all time. Those guys were really into that one. But others that will surprise you (and the music really makes them) are Humdinger, and Happy Shades of Blue. If you are a collector, you have to add this one. If you are a Freddy Cannon fan, grab it!

Nice to see a good catalogue of Freddies hits after a long wait.I found the quality very good.

This is a fun CD. I wasn't alive when most of these songs were released but I still find them enjoyable. Palisades Park is a great song. Highly recommended.

Who can resist "palisades Park"? That is one of Freddy Cannon's best.
But Cannon was a regular on the charts for eight years, from 1959 to 1966.
In that time he had 22 songs chart, then one more, and his last, in 1981.
This is a comprehensive collection of his hits.
Twenty one of twenty three hits are here.

These are some of the highlights of his career --
1. "Tallahassee lassie" 1959.
2. "Way down yonder in New Orleans" 1959.
3. "Transistor sister" 1961.
4. "Palisades park" 1962.
5. "Abigail Beecher" 1964.
6. "Action" 1965.

Plus these 2 B-sides are here.
"Boston my home town"
"My blue heaven"

Two additional songs that round out this 25 track C.D. are --
"Sweet Georgia Brown"
"Charged-up, tunded-up, rock-n-roll singer"
which is a medley of four of his hits.

Freddy Cannon reverberates energy! He was known for energetic carefree music.
His larger than life sound of "the big bass drum-sound"
on his records earned him the nickname Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon.
This is a really great collection of Cannon's music.
All original recordings.

Footnote: The two missing charted songs are --
"Twistin' all night long" with Danny and the Juniors, top 100 in 1962.
"Let's put the fun back in rock-n-roll" with the Belmonts top 100 in 1981.

This is one excellent compilation of songs by the one and only Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon.
It was a few months after Buddy Hollys' fatal plane crash when Cannon's first hit "Tallahassee Lassie" could be heard all over the airwaves in North America.That song,like the rest that would follow,literally reached out and grabbed your attention.Phil Spector may have created his famous "wall of sound",but Cannon took it a step further as later the Dave Clark Five would also.To add to the excitment Freddys' patented rebel yells/"woos" come in at just the right moments to bring to a boil an already hot platter.
When a Cannon song plays you just have to move and there's ample proof of a whole lot of shaking going on on this CD.All his hits and then some are here and the sound is top notch.All the favourites are included from "Tallahassee Lassie" and "Palisades Park" to "Abigail Beecher" and "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans"(my favourite).Of course I can't forget "Action","Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It","Patty Baby" and "Happy Shades of Blue".These songs bring back memories of summers long gone listening to these tunes with my transistor or in the car,singing along with abandon.
This CD includes 25 charged up tunes ending with a tune called "Charged up,turned up rock n roll singer" which he recorded in 1970 but didn't chart.It is a good tune,a medley of his biggest hits.
All in all if you remember Freddy Cannon at all you must have this CD.The sound is good and the songs are sure to please.If you don't remember but just want a CD guaranteed to conjure up sock hops,drive ins and malts,with a heaping helping of flat out,head banging rock n roll,this is the one for you.

Being a young teenager when these songs came out it was great to hear the original recordings again.
All of his greatest hits are there and it certainly brings back the memories.
Most enjoyable

CD was great....really takes me back in time! I recommend this to
anyone that loves music of the 50's or 60's. Freddie Cannon is
classic!

This is the only Freddy Cannon album you'll ever need. It contains all of his well known hits as well as the B Sides and more obscure tunes. You can feel Mr. Cannon's energy as if you were at one of his live performances. I highly recommend this CD.